Having a purpose in life is good for your long term health

Interesting.

The study is published in the May issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry.

"Our study showed that people who reported greater purpose in life exhibited better cognition than those with less purpose in life even as plaques and tangles accumulated in their brains," said Patricia A. Boyle, PhD.

"These findings suggest that purpose in life protects against the harmful effects of plaques and tangles on memory and other thinking abilities. This is encouraging and suggests that engaging in meaningful and purposeful activities promotes cognitive health in old age."

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Vermont bans fracking

It's too bad that so many other states are willing to ignore the high costs of fracking and only look at the financial benefits to Big Energy. The only explanation for ignoring the financial costs (such as polluted water and earthquakes) is that too many politicians are also won over by the lobbying efforts and campaign contributions.

Good for Vermont for caring more about its people and environment than Big Energy.

With a 103-36 vote in the House of Representatives, Vermont on Friday became the first state to ban hydraulic fracturing to extract oil or natural gas. The bill passed the Senate earlier this week.

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Fox News: "Obama flip flops, declares war on marriage"

I guess when your clichés lose their force, you have to double up. Media Matters has the goods:

In response to President Obama's declaration of support for marriage equality this afternoon, Fox Nation ran the following headline:

OBAMA FLIP FLOPS, DECLARES WAR ON MARRIAGE

Looks like that was too much though, even for Fox. Media Matters again:

Within an hour of posting its original headline, Fox Nation removed the “war on marriage” language from its post[.]

Media Matters also has screen caps and a few more tidbits; do click.

My comments are few — I'll just add that as a verb "flip-flop" is a hyphenated word.

Word.

GP

(To follow on Twitter or to send links: @Gaius_Publius)
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Video: Classic battle of man vs. goose

Goose wins.



And here's a wonderful edit of the video someone did.

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GOP votes to double student loan rates

While no doubt popular with the bankers, this is a serious blow to an already struggling middle class. Anyone with kids in college that have student loans would have to be clueless to vote for any Republican after this shameful vote. If the Democrats fail to clobber Republicans over this vote, they're just as clueless.

Why does the middle class have to keep being kicked around by the bankers who caused the recession? Even worse, why is there so much support in Washington for these ridiculous policies?

Senate Republicans on Tuesday blocked consideration of a Democratic bill to prevent the doubling of some student loan interest rates, leaving the legislation in limbo less than two months before rates on subsidized federal loans are set to shoot upward.

Along party lines, the Senate voted 52 to 45 on a key procedural motion, failing to reach the 60 votes needed to begin debating the measure. Senator Olympia J. Snowe, the moderate Republican from Maine who is retiring, voted present.

Senators said quiet negotiations had begun to resolve the impasse, but Democrats sought to raise the political pressure, vowing to take to the Senate floor to show the cost of inaction for students in their states.

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Eric Cantor's culture war is my life

Here's a snippet of something I just posted over at AMERICAblog Gay:

Brad Dayspring, the former spokesman for the number two Republican in the US House, Eric Cantor, had the following to say about President Obama's support for same-sex marriage:

Brad Dayspring ‏ @BDayspring
With the economy in stagnation and crippling amounts of debt, the President seeks to further divide America by launching in a culture war.

Your culture war is my life.

And isn't that the problem with so much that the modern Republican party stands for. They've turned all of our lives into one big culture war.

Access to affordable health care is a culture war.

Jobs are a culture war.

Protecting the environment is a culture war.

Student loans are a culture war.

Civil rights are a culture war.

What isn't a culture war to these people?

While Eric Cantor is talking about a culture war, we're worried about the young gay kid who is so without hope he'd rather hang himself than face another day of bullying.  We're worried about the lesbian Virginian whose partner of nearly twenty years died when American Airlines Flight 77 slammed into the Pentagon on September 11, and she found herself in legal and financial limbo because the woman she loved was not her legal wife.

Daily life in America isn't sexy.  It's about trying to put food on the table for your family, trying to pay your bills, trying to take care of your children, and trying to build a future in a country in which you pray that the dream is still alive.  It's not about gay couples and straight couples, it's about families, all families, trying to make ends meet and simply get by in trying times.

Why the Republicans offer those families mockery instead of assistance goes to the core of why Barack Obama deserves to be President of the United States, and they don't.

You can read the rest here. Read the rest of this post...

BREAKING: Barack Obama supports marriage equality

On October 27, 2010, I asked the President Obama what his position was on same-sex marriage.  He told me that his position was evolving.  Today, Barack Obama's evolution on marriage equality is complete.

Obama has told ABC News that "same sex marriage should be legal.... I think same-sex couples should be able to get married." (ABC has the video.)

OBAMA: I have to tell you that over the course of several years as I have talked to friends and family and neighbors when I think about members of my own staff who are in incredibly committed monogamous relationships, same-sex relationships, who are raising kids together, when I think about those soldiers or airmen or marines or sailors who are out there fighting on my behalf and yet feel constrained, even now that Don’t Ask Don’t Tell is gone, because they are not able to commit themselves in a marriage, at a certain point I’ve just concluded that for me personally it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same sex couples should be able to get married.

Obama became the first President of the United States to support marriage equality. It's a very welcome development. As you know, the President first announced that he was evolving during our interview on October 27, 2010. In response to my question, the President said:

I think it’s a fair question to ask. I think that -- I am a strong supporter of civil unions. As you say, I have been to this point unwilling to sign on to same-sex marriage primarily because of my understandings of the traditional definitions of marriage. But I also think you’re right that attitudes evolve, including mine. And I think that it is an issue that I wrestle with and think about because I have a whole host of friends who are in gay partnerships. I have staff members who are in committed, monogamous relationships, who are raising children, who are wonderful parents. And I care about them deeply. And so while I’m not prepared to reverse myself here, sitting in the Roosevelt Room at 3:30 in the afternoon, I think it’s fair to say that it’s something that I think a lot about. That’s probably the best you’ll do out of me today.

I told the President that if our relationships weren't treated like everyone else's, we aren't equal. Today, he acknowledged that we are.

Five progressive bloggers interview President Obama in October, 2010.

Now, this doesn't change any law or over rule any constitutional amendment. It's symbolic. But, it certainly feels different to know that, for the first time, our President thinks our relationships are equal.

During our interview, the President said, "The one thing I will say today is I think it’s pretty clear where the trendlines are going." Now, he's with the trend. And, our talk concluded:

Q The arc of history. THE PRESIDENT: The arc of history.

Yep. The arc of history. And, I'm honored to have played a small role in this. (h/t to ThinkProgress for the transcript of today's interview.)
------
NOTE FROM JOHN: A few points.  First, this is major news and these aren't "just words."  When the President of the United States makes a statement about an issue this big, the words have impact.  They can impact court cases around the country, and just as importantly, people's attitudes. Those attitudes matter at the ballot box and in the schoolyard.  The President's opinion matter.  This is an important day for gays and lesbians, our allies, and for all Americans who believe that our country stands for more than cheap political slogans.  Today we showed that it does. Read the rest of this post...

Obama just finished gay marriage interview with ABC

UPDATE: Two sources have told me they've heard ABC will have a special report at 3pm Eastern about the interview. Stay tuned.

A source tells me that ABC's Robin Roberts, who interviewed the President today about gay marriage, has just finished her interview with Obama. So the news could come at any moment. Read the rest of this post...

Increasing rumors Obama may endorse gay marriage today

The rumor mill is off the charts on this.  And there's no indication that the White House is trying to dampen expectations.  Very interesting.

And remember, it was AMERICAblog's Joe Sudbay who got President Obama to say, in an interview at the White House, that he was "evolving" on gay marriage.

Q So I have another gay question. (Laughter.)

THE PRESIDENT: It’s okay, man. (Laughter.)

Q And this one is on the issue of marriage. Since you’ve become President, a lot has changed. More states have passed marriage equality laws. This summer a federal judge declared DOMA unconstitutional in two different cases. A judge in San Francisco declared Prop 8 was unconstitutional. And I know during the campaign you often said you thought marriage was the union between a man and a woman, and there -- like I said, when you look at public opinion polling, it’s heading in the right direction. We’ve actually got Republicans like Ted Olson and even Ken Mehlman on our side now. So I just really want to know what is your position on same-sex marriage?

THE PRESIDENT: Joe, I do not intend to make big news sitting here with the five of you, as wonderful as you guys are. (Laughter.) But I’ll say this --

Q I just want to say, I would be remiss if I didn’t ask you this question.

THE PRESIDENT: Of course.

Q People in our community are really desperate to know.

THE PRESIDENT: I think it’s a fair question to ask. I think that -- I am a strong supporter of civil unions. As you say, I have been to this point unwilling to sign on to same-sex marriage primarily because of my understandings of the traditional definitions of marriage.

But I also think you’re right that attitudes evolve, including mine. And I think that it is an issue that I wrestle with and think about because I have a whole host of friends who are in gay partnerships. I have staff members who are in committed, monogamous relationships, who are raising children, who are wonderful parents.

And I care about them deeply. And so while I’m not prepared to reverse myself here, sitting in the Roosevelt Room at 3:30 in the afternoon, I think it’s fair to say that it’s something that I think a lot about. That’s probably the best you’ll do out of me today. (Laughter.)

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DHS finally admits TSA porno-scanners have problems

Smile!

Gee, who would have guessed that the porno-scanners may not be as effective as they keep insisting they are? Oh that's right, there have been one or two published reports about those ever-so-small issues that suggest the machines can easily be defeated.

What is bizarre about this latest story is that nobody in Washington really cares about the wasteful spending. For a bunch of politicians who kick and scream so much about spending, they've willingly gone along with this security theater for years now without question. From afar, it looks like the spending complaints only apply if it's about money to the poor or so-called "entitlement" programs like Social Security that is not an entitlement program since it's paid for via taxes. Interesting how these Washington debates work.

More on the DHS report via Wired.

Exactly how bad the body scanners are is not being divulged publicly, but the Inspector General report made eight separate recommendations on how to improve screening.

The news comes as authorities are examining an underwear bomb, allegedly seized by the CIA in Yemen as it allegedly thwarted an Al-Qaida plot to destroy a U.S.-bound airplane, according to The Associated Press. Authorities are now looking to determine if the bomb could have passed through airport screeners without being detected.

Meanwhile, an unclassified version of the Inspector General report, unearthed Friday by the Electronic Information Privacy Center, may give credence to a recent YouTube video allegedly showing a 27-year-old Florida man sneaking a metallic object through two different Transportation Security Administration body scanners at American airports.

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Twitter supports Occupy Wall Street, refuses court order violating user's privacy

A round of applause for Twitter today. Users own their own content, according to the company.

Twitter has moved to quash a court order issued by the Manhattan district attorney that would require it to hand over the tweets of a writer and Occupy Wall Street protester arrested on the Brooklyn Bridge last October.

In a motion filed in the criminal court in New York on Monday Twitter argued that it should not be forced to give the prosecutor three months worth of tweets by Malcolm Harris, who was arrested on the bridge along with 700 other activists.

Harris had issued his own motion in a bid to quash the subpoena in February, contending that there was "no justification" for New York prosecutors to seek "such a broad swath of electronic data". The motion was rejected by Judge Matthew A Sciarrino Jr on 20 April, in an order ruling that Harris did not have the legal standing to challenge the subpoena because Twitter owned the rights to his tweets.

NOTE FROM JOHN: It's really scary that judges, who probably understand the Internet as well as my parents, are making law governing the Internet.

First, someone doesn't have automatic rights in their own written content that's posted online? Really? So I guess I don't have rights to my own blog then.

Second, the NY prosecutors wants Twitter to turn over user information, including the user's email address. That's a pretty hefty privacy violation without a court order, or just cause.

Harris was arrested in October and charged with disorderly conduct for his participation in an Occupy Wall Street march that ended with some 700 arrests after protesters walked onto the road section of the Brooklyn Bridge. New York prosecutors issued a subpoena to Twitter on 26 January, requesting three months worth of tweets from Harris's twitter account as well as "user information, including email address".

Do you know anyone who has any kind of account, online or off, that doesn't publicly state their real name? Do you think the true identity of the account holder should be publicly available without a court order? And, again, how the judge claim that the account holder has no interest in their identity being released?

Next, check out the fishing expedition the NY prosecutor is on:

The New York Times has reported that prosecutors want to see three months of Harris's tweetsin the belief they may contradict his potential defence that police allowed protesters to walk in the road.

"The defendant may have used the account to make statements while on the bridge that were inconsistent with his anticipated trial defense," the Times quoted assistant district attorney Lee Langston as saying.

May?  Is there any evidence he did?  And why stop there. The defendant "may" have used his account to conspire with the newest underwear bomber. He "may" have used his account to plan the assassination of the President. Heck, any of us "may" have. So let's open up every electronic communication to the NYPD so they can make sure that none of us "may" be up to no good.

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Bank lobbyists coordinated “Tea Party” challenge to Richard Lugar to punish his anti–Wall Street vote

If you don't see through the correct lens, you just don't see. Tea Party vs newly-lovable Richard Lugar? No. Wall Street vs its enemies.

Lee Fang, writing for the fabulous Republic Report, tells the tale (my emphasis, some reparagraphing and [bracketed comments]):

[I]t’s worth noting that a primary factor in Lugar’s desperate fight for reelection stems from the power of banking lobbyists. The Indiana Republican can be viewed as a demonstration of Wall Street’s political muscle. In the words of Politico, “The banking industry is making an example of Sen. Dick Lugar.”

In a rare loss for Wall Street, the Senate last year rejected legislation to delay a rule to limit the amount banks can charge businesses for credit card swipe fees. [Pause; absorb that. Now read on.]

The financial industry mounted an incredible lobbying campaign — as Bloomberg reported, banks hired high priced K Street hacks, used conservative blogs like RedState, and developed Beltway advertising — to pass the measure.

But a coalition of big box retailers, like Wal-Mart and Target, along with small businesses and other vendors, persuaded enough legislators from both sides of the aisle to kill the measure and limit the fees. The rule affected some $16 billion in bank profits.

Lugar was among the few Republican senators up for reelection in 2012 to vote against the banks.

I'm not even sure that $16 billion is more than chump change for BofA and Wells Fargo, but there you go. Even chump change is Money to lovers of Money.

A teaser — from the Bloomberg article Fang links to (and quotes):

The behind-the-scenes story of the swipe-fee war -- reconstructed from public and confidential documents and interviews with more than 30 people in Congress, regulatory agencies and industry -- shows how far the richest interest groups can go when a single decision puts billions of dollars up for grabs.

Bottom line — the bankers nailed Lugar, and the media gives the credit to the Tea Party, because hey, big media is Money too — and Money is friends with Money.

Please click on over — I've left some of the best stuff unexplained. It's a good report.

Why does it always come down to money? Because ... you know. And also because god wanted to make it easy to understand what the idiots do. Money, power and tribalism explains most of this modren world.

UPDATE: For more on why Dick Lugar is "the same as he ever was," try this from Digby; nice piece of research on his record.

GP

(To follow on Twitter or to send links: @Gaius_Publius)
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NC votes to oppress a minority

The racist law passed in 1956, as did the anti-gay one last night.

Plus ça change...

(H/t Jeremy Hooper) Read the rest of this post...

Germans fed up with disaster they helped create in Greece

Let's just say Germany is about as frustrated with Greece as many Europeans are with Germany. Lost in the discussion in Germany is that while Greece had its fair share of problems (and probably shouldn't have joined the euro in the first place) Germany has consistently made the bad situation worse. Yes, there's no shortage of corruption in Greece but the problems of corruption are hardly limited to any one country.

Also, if Germany can't see the additional problems that they created with the bailouts, that's their fault completely. Many criticized the bailouts as kicking the can down the road. In addition, Merkel herself should have spent less time politicizing the problem back home and more time speeding up the bailouts if that's what she really wanted. By dawdling she cost everyone more money. (Time is money, after all.)

Merkel's defense of the bankers only losing 50% also falls into her lap. Why should the average Greek citizen get screwed so the bankers can cling onto money that they should have taken a complete loss on? Sorry, but that's Germany's negotiating so Germany should quit complaining.

What's amusing about all of this is that the Germans - who have kicked and screamed about keeping Greece in the euro - are finally coming to the same conclusion as the Greek people. What a big waste of money and Germany can thank Germany for the waste.

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Coalition leader in Greece: Bailout terms are dead

Assuming his coalition can actually form a government, this could get interesting. The previous bailouts never sounded realistic and continued to be more about the banks than the people of Greece.

Alexis Tsipras, who was given a mandate on Tuesday to form a government after his party came in second, said banks should come under state control and called for an international commission to investigate whether Greece's debt is legal.

"The popular verdict clearly renders the bailout deal null," Tsipras told reporters.

Greece's Left Coalition party will get an historic chance on Tuesday to form a government opposed to the country's EU/IMF bailout, after the mainstream conservatives failed to cobble together a coalition following shock election results.

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